As I walk across the car park, I meet with my friend, Pippa Stent. ‘Hiya! How are you?’ I ask, as we walk together.
‘Not so bad. Got a million things to do tonight, as usual. Why do these meetings always fall on the busiest night of the week, when Baz is away and my mother has a new boyfriend to distract her from grandmother babysitting duties?’
‘Oh, yes. How is your mum’s love life these days?’
Pippa pulls a face. ‘Don’t ask. Honestly, there should be an age limit on those dating websites. I tell you, the old ones are the worst, I’m sure. Not that I’ve been on them, of course, but you know. I feel like my mum has turned into a teenager!’ We laugh at the thought. ‘To be honest, I nearly forgot about tonight.’
‘Me too,’ I confess. ‘Our routine is totally out of the window at the moment.’
‘Oh, yeah. How’s it going with your visitor? Your sister, I should say, sorry.’
I wave her apology away. ‘Good. Yeah, good.’
Pippa stops walking as we get to the main entrance. ‘Well, that sounded convincing,’ she says, eyeing me suspiciously.
I hesitate, but decide to be honest with my friend. ‘It’s hard work. It’s awkward. It’s like you have this total stranger in the house and, yet, you have to behave as if you’ve known each other all your life.’ I look over and notice Michael, one of the other governors, approaching.
Pippa follows my gaze. ‘Look, come round for a coffee when you get a moment. We’ll chat then.’ She gives my arm a reassuring pat and then turns to Michael. ‘Hi, Michael, how are you?’ The three of us make our way into the school.
The meeting drags on even longer than I thought it would and if it wasn’t for the fact that I’m on the parking and speed sub-committee, I would have floored it out of that car park like a F1 driver. Instead, I force myself to make a sedate exit, but once I’m round the corner and out of sight, I drive as fast as I dare from one village to the next. The small stretch of road, which divides Budlington and Little Dray, is narrow and twisty. With no footpath, it’s a devil to negotiate as either a driver or a pedestrian. In the dark it’s even worse and am relieved as I round the last bend and the streetlights of Little Dray appear. The radar-activated speed sign flashes as I near the village. The digits 30 and the words slow down flash alternately. I take heed; it wouldn’t do to get a speeding ticket. That would be rather ironic.
I eventually get home and haul myself and my briefcase through the front door. I can hear laughter coming from the kitchen. It sounds like Hannah and I smile, grateful that Luke has let her stay up to see me.
He greets me at the door. ‘Hey, there,’ he says, coming down the stairs and giving me a kiss. ‘Sorry, you’ve just missed Chloe. She was shattered, so I had to put her to bed.’
The guilt hugs me tighter than Luke. ‘It’s okay. The meeting went on far longer than usual. I had totally forgotten about it. I’ll be glad when I don’t have to go any more.’
‘Don’t beat yourself up, Babe. As long as there’s one of us to put her to bed, she doesn’t mind.’ I put my case down under the coat rack and slip off my jacket. Luke takes it from me and hangs it on the hook. ‘I seriously don’t think she’s going to need counselling as a result of it.’
I smile at his attempt to relieve my guilt. ‘Hannah okay?’
‘Yeah, she’s in the kitchen with your mum and Alice. Look, I was going to get on with some work. You don’t mind, do you?’
‘No. Fill your boots, but do try to come to bed at some point tonight. It’s an awful big bed for one.’
Luke cups my face in his hands. ‘Try stopping me.’ He kisses me and then, leaving me with a smile, wanders off down the hallway. I hear him stop by the kitchen and say goodnight to Hannah before heading off to his studio. I kick off my shoes and, after giving my mobile one final check for any messages or emails, I switch it off, leaving work firmly behind me. I hear more laughter from Hannah in the kitchen. She has such an infectious laugh. I smile to myself and go down to join the fun.
As I enter the kitchen, I can feel the corners of my mouth sag slightly as the smile I had reserved for Hannah disappears. Hannah is sitting at the breakfast bar, her back to me, with Alice sitting next to her, their heads dipped towards each. They giggle at something I haven’t heard.
‘Hiya,’ I say brightly from the doorway. Neither appear to hear me, their heads remaining bowed, looking at something in Hannah’s lap. I spy an array of nail varnishes on the worktop and the smell of acetone hits the back of my throat. Alice looks up as I walk further into the kitchen.